The Luera Mountains are a 15 mi (24 km) long,
mountain range in southeast
Catron County
Catron County is a county in the U.S. state of New Mexico. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3,725, making it New Mexico's third-least populous county. Its county seat is Reserve. Catron County is New Mexico's largest county by area.
H ...
,
New Mexico,
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
in the central-southeast of the
Plains of San Agustin
The Plains of San Agustin (sometimes listed as the Plains of San Augustin) is a region in the southwestern U.S. state of New Mexico in the San Agustin Basin, south of U.S. Highway 60. The area spans Catron and Socorro Counties, about 50 miles ...
. The range abuts the northwest end of the north-south extensive
Black Range
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
where the
Continental Divide of the Americas traverses the Black Range's ridgeline.
The Continental Divide traverses the southern foothills of the Luera Mountains from west-to-east then turns south into the Black Range. The ''Continental Divide National Scenic Trail'' is further south of the
water divide
A drainage divide, water divide, ridgeline, watershed, water parting or height of land is elevated terrain that separates neighboring drainage basins. On rugged land, the divide lies along topographical ridges, and may be in the form of a singl ...
in the Luera's, then meets the Continental Divide in the Black Range.
Description
The Luera Mountains are an approximately 15 mi circular range, with Luera Peak in the center north; a small ridgeline goes southeast from the peak with an adjacent creek and canyon. The Luera Mountains are mostly surrounded by the Plains of San Agustin. The linear main-trending line of the plains lies to the west, northwest and northeast, with
State Road 12 traversing the north side of the plains. To the southeast of the Luera Mountains between the northwest perimeter of the
Black Range
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...
,
New Mexico State Road 163
State Road 163 (NM 163) is a state highway in the US state of New Mexico. NM 163's southern terminus is at the end of state maintenance at the former NM 61, and the northern terminus is at NM 52.
Major intersections
Se ...
crosses the Continental Divide and the National Scenic Trail. Road 163 connects from to the east,
New Mexico State Road 52
New Mexico State Road 52 (NM 52) is an approximately 88.6 mi (142.6 km) long state highway in Socorro County in the state of New Mexico. It runs approximately north–south. Its northern terminus is near the Very Large Array at U.S. ...
and the adjacent
Cibola National Forest to Forest Road 30 at the southwest, connecting the
Gila Wilderness and
Apache Creek, NM, while paralleling the Continental Divide, (which traverses around the west and partial northwest of the Plains of San Agustin).
Connected to the west and southwest of the Luera Mountains, is a similar sized mountain range, unnamed. Both are in the center-west of the Plains of San Agustin. The Plains trend northeasterly north of the two ranges; higher elevations of the Plains of San Agustin lie south, and southwest of the two ranges where the
Continental Divide of the Americas goes from the west to meet the Black Range, where the Continental Divide then turns due south.
Luera Peak
There is no well-delineated ridgeline in the Luera Mountains. The water divide, the continental divide is in the southern foothills of the range. Luera Peak, in the center-north, , is located at .
Luera Peak Summit, mountainzone
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Continental Divide
The Continental Divide of the Americas traverses around the northwest and west mountain perimeter, and central-southern section of the Plains of San Agustin. The scenic trail lies adjacent to the Divide, or follows the Continental Divide.
References
External links
Luera Peak Summit, mountainzone, elevation: 9488 ft, (coordinates)Luera Mountains Range, mountainzone
{{Mountains of New Mexico
Great Divide of North America
Landforms of Catron County, New Mexico
Mountain ranges of New Mexico